Iowa (9) vs. Clemson (8) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The winner will likely be on course for a second-round meeting with defending National Champion Florida, the top seed in the region.
Friday evening’s festivities inside Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena mark the fourth head-to-head matchup involving Iowa and Clemson, with the Hawkeyes leading the all-time series 3-1. They most recently faced each other in November 2022, when Iowa won a neutral-site game 74-71.
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Clemson Tigers NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
As is normally the case on the 8-9 line in the Big Dance, this project is expected to be a relatively even matchup on the March Madness odds board. Iowa is going off as a -2 favourite while being priced at -130 on the money line. Clemson is +110 to produce a minor upset. The game total is set at 129.5 points.
Neither team has been profitable against the spread in recent weeks. Iowa is 2-6 ATS in its last eight games and 0-6 ATS in its last six away from home; Clemson is 1-4 ATS in its last five overall. Meanwhile, the Over is 3-0 in Iowa’s past three contests.
Iowa Hawkeyes
First-year head coach Ben McCollum has picked up right where Fran McCaffrey left off. McCaffrey, who is in the 2026 NCAA Tournament with Penn, led Iowa to seven March Madness appearances in 15 seasons. McCollum’s maiden effort with the Hawkeyes resulted in a solid 10-10 record in a stacked Big Ten conference. They advanced one round in the conference tournament, disposing of Maryland before losing to Ohio State 72-69.
Senior guard Bennett Stirtz has been outstanding for Iowa, averaging 20.0 points and 4.5 assists per game. However, he will need to get his three-point shot back on track if the Hawkeyes want to have success in Tampa. Stirtz is just 12-for-42 from downtown over the past five contests. Of course, the Hawkeyes can always rely on their defence. They rank No. 15 in Division 1 by allowing a mere 66.0 points per game.
Clemson Tigers
Head coach Brad Brownell is in his 16th season with the Tigers, whom he has led to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time and third in a row. Clemson is 24-10 overall after compiling a 12-6 record in the ACC. It reached the conference tournament semifinals with wins over Wake Forest and North Carolina before falling to the eventual champion, Duke.
Junior forward Carter Welling, the team’s second-leading scorer at 10.2 PPG, is out for the season after tearing an ACL in the ACC Tournament. It was not the first torn ACL that the Tigers have suffered in 2025-26. Freshman guard Zac Foster (6.9 PPG) went down with the same injury in December. Because of Welling’s absence, Clemson has only one active player scoring in double-figures (RJ Godfrey at 11.9 PPG).
March Madness Prediction: Who Will Win Iowa vs. Clemson?
If you want to see a scoreboard get lit up, this is not the game for you. Clemson is not too far behind Iowa in scoring defense, surrendering only 66.7 points per game. With Welling joining Foster on the sidelines, they really have no choice but to put the clamps down on defense and hope some turnovers lead to easy buckets in transition. That won’t be easy against the Hawkeyes, who are committing just 9.7 turnovers per game. Let’s go with Iowa 65, Clemson 61.